as we were lead by that great freedom, the man from independents, harry truman. but the gladness of this high occasion cannot mask the soro -- the sorrow that shares our hearts. let us hear tonight each of us, all of us, rededicate

ourselves to keeping burning the golden torch of promise which john fitzgerald kennedy set aflame. [applause] and let none of us stop to rest until we have written into the law of the land all the suggestions and then let us continue to supplement the program with the kind of laws that he would have us write. [applause]

tonight we offer ourselves on our record and by our platform as a party for all americans. and all american parties are all american. [applause] this land of reasonable men has no place for any partisanship or previous prejudice. [applause]

the need of all can never be met by a party of the few. the needs of all cannot be met by a business party. for a labor party. -- or a labor party. not by a war party or a peace party. not by a southern party or another in -- or a northern party. our needs will meet our needs only if we are served by a party that serves all our people.

[applause] we are members together of such a party. the democratic party of 1964. we have written a proud record of accomplishments for all americans. if any ask what we have done, just let them look at what we promised to do. -- what we promise to do. [applause] those promises have become our deeds. and the promises of tonight, i

will becomeuo wilou the deeds of tomorrow. [applause] we are in the midst of the largest and the longest period of peace time prosperity in our history. and almost every american listening to us tonight has seen the results in his own life. but prosperity for most has not brought prosperity to all. and those who have received the bounty of this land, who sit

tonight secure in affluence and safe in power, must not now turn from the needs of their neighbors. [applause] our party and our nation will continue to extend the hand of compassion. and extend the hand of affection and love to the old and the sick and the hungry. [applause] for who among us there betray the command though shall open

they hand to the brother and i need be in by land. -- to they brother and they needy in they land. the need that we seek to fill, the hopes that we speak to realize. but our needs are not our hopes along. they are the needs and hopes of most of the people. most americans want medical care for older citizens and so do i. [applause] most americans want fair and

stable prices and decent income for our farmers. and so do i.. most americans want a decent home and a decent neighborhood for all. and so do i.. most americans want an education for every child to the limit of his ability and so do i. most americans want a job for every man who wants to work and so do i.

most americans want victory in our war against poverty and so do i. most americans want continually expanding and growing prosperity and so why -- and so do i. these are your goals, these our our -- are our goals. these are the goals and will be the achievements of the democratic party.

these are the goals of this great, rich nation. these are the goals toward which i will lead if the american people choose to follow. [applause] for 30 years, year by year, step by step, vote by vote, men of both partie4s have built a solid foundation for our present prosperity. too many have worked too long and too hard to see this threatened now by policies which promised to undo all that we have done together over all

these years. [applause] i believe most of the men and women in this hall tonight and i believe most americans understand that to reach our goal in our own land, we must work for peace among all lands. america's cause is still the cause of all mankind. over the last four years, the world has begun to respond to a simple american belief -- the belief that strength and courage and responsibility are the keys.

since 1961 under the leadership of that great president john f. kennedy, we have carried out national strength of any nation in any time in the history of the world. [applause] and our report tonight that we have spent $30 billion more on preparing this nation in the four years of the kennedy administration them would have been spent if we had followed the appropriations of the last year of the previous administration.

our report tonight as president of the united states and commander in chief of the armed forces, on the strength of your country and i tell you that is greater than in the adversary. i assure you that it is greater than the combined might of all the nations in all wars and in all the history of this planet. our report hours a party -- our superiority is growing.

weapons to not make peace. men and make peace. and peace comes not through strength alone but through wisdom and patience. and these qualities under the leadership of president kennedy brought a treaty banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere and 100

other nations in the world joined us. other agreements were reached and other steps were taken gary and a single guy was to lessen the danger to men. their single purpose was peace in the world. and as a result of these policies, the world tonight knows where we stand and our allies know where we san too. -- where we stand, too.

and our adversaries have learned that we will never waver in the defense of freedom. did true courage of this nuclear age -- the true courage of this nuclear age lies in the search of peace. there is no place in today's world for weakness but there is also no place for recklessness. we cannot act rationally with

the nuclear weapons that could destroy us all. the only course is to press with all our mind and all our will to make sure that these weapons are never really used at all. this is a dangerous and difficult world in which we live. i promise no easy answers but i do promise this -- i pledge the firmness to defend freedom, the strength to support the firmness

and the constant, patient effort to move the world towards peace instead of war. [applause] and here at home one of our greatest responsibilities is to assure fair play for all of our people. every american have the right to be treated as a person. he should be able to find a job. [applause] he should be able to educate his children, he should be able to

vote in elections. and he should be judged on his merits as a person. while this is the fixed policy and determination of the democratic party and united states of america. our president,m yuo i intend to carry out what the constitution demands and justice

requires. equal justice under law for all americans. we cannot and we will not allow this great purpose to be endangered by reckless acts of violence. but those who break the law, those who create disorder weather in the north or the

south must be caught and must be brought to justice. and i believe that every man and woman in this room tonight joins me in saying every part of this country -- in every part of this country, the law must be respected and violence must be stopped. and wherever a local all -- local law officers seek help, our federal law is broken. i have pledged and i will use the full resources of the

federal government. let no one tell you that he can hold back progress and at the same time keep the peace. this is a false and and the promise. to stand in the way of orderly progress is to encourage of profit -- to encourage violence. [applause] i say tonight to those who wish us well and to those who wish us ill, the growing forces in this country are the forces of common human decency and not the forces of bigotry and your and

-- and fear and smear. our problems are many and great. but our opportunities are even greater. let me make this clear -- i ask the american people for a mandate, not to presided over a finished program, not just to keep things going -- i ask the american people for a mandate to begin.

this nation, this generation in his hour has man's first chance to build a great society, a place with the meaning of man's life matches the marvels of man's labor. [applause] we seek a nation where every man can find reward in work and satisfaction in the use of his talents. we seek a nation where every man can seek knowledge and touch

beauty and rejoice in the closeness of family and community. [applause] we seek a nation where every man can in the world w -- can follow the pursuit of happiness. not just security but achievement and excellence and fulfillment of the spirit. so let us join together in this great path -- will you join me tonight in starting -- [applause]

in rebuilding our cities to make them a decent place for our children to live in. wil you joing me -- will you join me tonight in starting a program that will protect the beauty of our land and the air that reprieve -- that we breathe? starting aoin me in program that will give every child education of the highest quality that he can take? [applause] let us join together in giving

every american the fullest life which he can hope for. the ultimate test of our civilization, of our faithfulness to our past is not in our goods or uns -- or guns. it is in the quality of our people's lives and in the men and women that we produce. this goal can be ours. we haev the -- have the resources. we have the knowledge. but tonight we must seek the courage.

[applause] because tonight the contest is one we have faced in every turning point in history. it is not between liberals and conservatives, it is not between parties and party or platform and platform. it is between courage and timidity -- and humility. [applause] it is between those who have a vision and those who see what can be and those who want only to maintain the status quo.

it is between those who welcome the future and those who turn away from its promise. this is the true cause of freedom. the man who is hungry and cannot find work or educate his children who is about by wants. that man is not fully free. for more than 30 years from social security to the war against poverty, we have diligently worked to enlarge the freedom of man and as a result, americans tonight are freer to

live as they want to live. to pursue their ambitions, to meet their desires, to raise their families than in any time in all of our glorious history. [applause] and every american knows in his heart that this is right. i am determined in all the time

that is mine to use all the talents that i have or bring this great land mobile land -- loveable land together in greater unity in pursuit of this common purpose. i truly believe that we someday will see an america that knows no north or south, nor east or west. [applause] an america that is undivided by creed or color and untorn by

suspicion or threat. [applause] the founding fathers and dream the america before it was. the pioneers dream of great cities on the wilderness that the cross. -- that they crossed. our tomorrow is on its way. it can be a ship of darkness or a thing of beauty. the choice is ours, is yours. for it will be the dream that we dare to dream. [applause]

i know what kind of a dream franklin results -- franklin roosevelt and harry truman and heart -- and john kennedy would dream if they were here tonight. and i think that i know what kind of a dream you want to dream. tonight we of the democratic party confidently go before the people offering answers, not retreat. offering unity, not division. offering hope, not fear or samir. -- or smear.

we do offer the people a choice. a choice of continuing on the courageous and compassionate course that has made this nation the strongest and the freest and the most prosperous and the most peaceful nation in the history of mankind. to those who have saw to divide us -- sought to divide us, they have only help to unite us.

to those who would provoke us, we have turned the other cheek. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [captions performed by national captioning institute]

>> now arkansas governor bill clinton accepting the democratic nomination in 1992. this is the first campaign. before facing th bush he emerged against in the primary against brown, tsongus. his speech is a little under an hour. [cheers and applause]

[cheers and applause] >> thank you so much. [cheers and applause] >> chairman brown, mayor dinkins, our great host. my fellow delegates and my

fellow americans, i am so proud of al gore. he said he came here tonight because he always wanted to do the warm-up for elvis. well, i ran for president this year for one reason and one reason only. i wanted to come back to this convention and finish that speech i started four years ago. [cheers and applause] well, last night is how a real nominating speech should be given.

[cheers and applause] we also made it clear why we have to steer our ship of state on a new course. tonight i want to talk with you about my hope for the future, my faith in the american people, and my vision of the kind of country we can build together. i sa absolute -- i salute this man on the campaign trail, tom harkins. [cheers and applause] doug wilder. [cheers and applause] jerry brown. [cheers and applause] and paul tsongus. [cheers and appl